A New Perspective
by LiveLaughLove728
Summary: Percy and Annabeth visit Camp Jupiter for the first time since the quest to defeat Gaea. Annabeth thinks she knows the Romans and their camp, but does she really? What if she finds it's different than she'd originally thought?
1. Chapter 1

**This is a story about Annabeth and Percy visiting Camp Jupiter for the first time since the quest and Tartarus and all that. It actually was written to go along with Chapter 16 in my other story Long Road Ahead, but you can read it separate too!**

**As of right now this is going to be a three shot, but it may change.**

**Please read and review! Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: PJO and HoO are owned by Rick Riordan, not me... obviously.**

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Percy looked at me, squeezing my hand. "Ready?" he asked.

I took a deep breath and nodded, staring straight ahead. We were visiting Camp Jupiter for the first time since the start of the quest. Percy knew I was uncomfortable with the whole idea of being back. Being a daughter of Athena, the Romans didn't take to me very well. Athena's Roman counterpart, Minerva, was just so… different. But Percy had to visit sometime, and I had to come with him. Had to. We had only been separated once since… since _Tartarus,_ and it was fair to say it had not been the best of times, for either of us.

I could see the Caldecott Tunnel from here. We were on a hill across from it, walking from where we'd left the rental car, trying not to attract attention to the camp. A highway separated the two. Percy started forward, down the hill, leading me. We walked silently down the, far from level, decline. There was no need to say anything. I was nervous and I knew he was too, but in times like these, just having him here with me made things better.

About half way down the hill, I noticed Percy was smirking humorously.

"What?" I asked.

Percy shook his head, still smiling, "Nothing. Just thinking about the first time I came down this hill." I had to laugh. Percy had told me about his ride down the hill and across four lanes of traffic on a Bargain Mart sample tray with two gorgons in pursuit. It was probably one of the most ridiculous things Percy had ever done.

"That was probably a tad bit more chaotic than this," I replied.

"Hey, it worked," he retorted, shrugging. I couldn't argue there. We were demigods. We all have done ridiculous things, running on adrenaline and pure luck, to get away from assorted evils at one point or another.

We reached the bottom of the hill and, somehow, made it across the highway without dying. As we walked toward the entrance to the camp, I could make out two armed figures guarding it. I couldn't tell who they were, but I didn't know very many Romans well enough to recognize them right away anyway. Percy squeezed my hand.

As we neared the entrance, I could make out the guards' faces under their helmets. I didn't recognize them, but they apparently recognized us, well, Percy anyway. Their eyes became wide and they practically tripped over themselves trying to greet and welcome him. I didn't get nearly as much attention, but, honestly, that was fine with me. I preferred being relatively ignored to being stared at as if I were some kind of freak of nature.

Percy seemed oblivious to all the attention. He simply smiled and greeted them in reply. He tried to cover it up, but he couldn't fool me, he didn't know who he was talking to either.

The guards led us through the entrance and showed us to a bridge crossing the Little Tiber. They apologized for not being able to accompany us the rest of the way, but_ I_ was more than okay with it. Percy and I crossed the bridge, still holding hands, and made our way into camp.

Campers at Camp Jupiter didn't stay at home for the school year, like they did at Camp Hal-Blood, so there were just as many here now, in April, as there had been when the Argo II had landed that past June. Many were busy. Being Roman, most didn't even bother to look away from their work as we passed, but those who did notice us stared, nodding respectfully to Percy, then to me, which kind of surprised me, but I guess if you're one of the only two demigods to ever travel through hell and come back alive, people hear about it. Regardless of Roman views on children of Athena, my accomplishments had to count for something, like finding the Athena Parthenos, which, in the end, had been one of, if not _the_ reason for the end of the camps' rivalry.

We arrived at the principia. Jason and Reyna knew we were coming that week, but they didn't know specific details, mainly because we hadn't completely known ourselves when we'd told them. Percy let himself in, leading me inside.

Jason and Reyna sat at the table in the center of the grand room, clad in regal purple capes. They were working, from the looks of things. Papers and scrolls were spread before them, but we were too far away for me to see what kind. Both were hunched over the table, writing and conversing softly.

"Knock knock," Percy called, announcing our presence. Jason and Reyna straightened, obviously startled. When they saw us, Jason grinned and Reyna's face softened. She may have even smiled a little.

"Hey, glad you could make it," Jason greeted, getting up from the table and walking over to them. He shook hands with Percy and hugged me. When we pulled away, Reyna was standing behind Jason, truly smiling now. Surprisingly, she hugged me.

"It's good to see you, Annabeth, Percy," she said as she hugged Percy too.

"Yeah, great timing too. Lots of work to do. Wanna help, my fellow praetor?" Jason asked, teasingly.

Percy grimaced slightly, "Um, I guess," he answered, sounding rather unenthusiastic.

Jason laughed, "I'm kidding, man. You're on vacation. We're pretty much done anyway."

Percy looked relieved, but I'm not sure if anyone else noticed.

"Lunch will be served soon," Reyna said, turning back to the table and straightening it up.

"Alright, cool," Percy replied, "Well, if you guys don't mind, we're gonna go find Frank and Hazel. We haven't seen them since the quest."

"No problem," Jason said. "We'll see you guys later."

Percy grabbed my hand and began leading me out of the principia. "Oh, Percy," There's a Senate meeting later," Reyna called as we walked out.

I wasn't really sure what that meant, but Percy apparently did, because he groaned, but called "Got it."

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you not a fan of Senate meetings or something?" I asked.

Percy scoffed. "They have got to be the most boring meetings on the face of the earth," he answered, "and that's before Octavian takes the show. I've only been to a few, but it's a recipe for disaster every time." I had no trouble believing that. Octavian might be scrawny and annoying, but his power was in his words. When he got talking, very little would stop him, and he would take any means necessary to bend people to his will. It was almost worse than Charmspeak. Percy continued, "You can come too, if you want. It's not like anyone, but Reyna and Jason, can do anything about it if I bring you, and they won't mind."

I thought about it. From the way Percy described them, Senate meetings sounded like torture, but it didn't seem fair to make him suffer through one alone. Granted, I'd probably just sit in, most likely in the back, but that still seemed more merciful to Percy than not being there at all. "Sure, Seaweed Brain, I'll go," I said. Percy looked a bit happier about going after that.

We made it to the training area. I know it had a name, but it was in Latin, and I was pretty terrible with Latin. The campers must have just finished, because few were left. Many were coming out of the showers already.

I noticed Frank pretty quickly. He was much bigger than most of the other campers. Percy and I made our way over to him, which proved rather difficult, as the rest of the demigods were all making their way toward the Mess Hall, and we were trying to walk perpendicular to them. It was like walking through river rapids, but eventually, we made it.

Hazel stood right next to Frank. When they saw us, they both looked a bit concerned, but smiled widely. This was a pretty normal reaction for people to have of us now. Actually, that's not true. Usually, it was way worse. Anyone who had seen Percy and me after Tartarus was suspicious at first, like, at any second, we would turn into raving, hallucinating lunatics. It made sense, I guess, judging from how bad we'd been after getting out, but it was seriously annoying. I was a daughter of Athena; strong, powerful, confident, a fighter. Part of me, the hubris part, hated that everyone had seen me like that, but the rest was glad that they cared about me enough to be concerned.

"Hey!" Frank called, while Hazel ran up to us, hugging us both at the same time, making it like a group hug.

"Oh my gods! I've missed you guys!" she exclaimed, once she'd pulled away.

"Ditto," Frank said, grinning.

"We missed you too," I replied, smiling.

Hazel grew serious, "So, um, how are you?" she asked carefully. I knew what she meant. I knew Percy did too. _How are we doing since coming back from the pits of hell?_ I really hated answering that question. I got asked it way too much.

I looked to Percy, who looked back, before turning back to Hazel. "We're good," he answered.

"We're getting there," I added.

"_Much_ better than the last time you guys saw us," he added. Truer words had never been spoken.

Frank and Hazel both nodded sympathetically, before Frank perked up again. "Hey, are you guys playing war games tomorrow night?" he asked hopefully.

"You bet we are!" Percy replied, grinning.

"We're gonna dominate!" Frank replied excitedly.

"Do praetors participate in war games?" I asked. Percy looked suddenly devastated.

"I hope so," he replied. He looked to Hazel, probably since she'd been there longest.

"Before Juno switched you two," Hazel said, shrugging, "Jason used to play. Reyna prefers to referee, but I don't see why you wouldn't be allowed to participate."

"YES!" both boys exclaimed, high fiving and smiling hugely. Hazel and I just looked at each other, shaking our heads. Boys… Yet, I had to admit, I _was_ pretty excited. From what I'd heard, Roman war games were pretty intense, and required fail proof strategy, which I just happened to be very good at. Maybe some of this trip would be fun after all.

We were pretty much alone now, with everyone else in the mess hall for lunch. The four of us made our way there, following the last few stragglers inside.

We sat at a table with Frank and Hazel. After a few minutes, Jason and Reyna joined us. An announcement was made, welcoming Percy and me to camp. The Romans cheered loudly, welcoming their praetor back.

After the initial "How are you?" talk from Jason and Reyna, we settled into nice conversation. Percy and Jason started a debate with Frank about how a sword was a better weapon than a bow and arrow, or something; while Hazel, Reyna, and I discussed the two camps.

I'd actually only been to Camp Half-Blood twice since first coming back from the quest. School had started only a few weeks after we'd arrived back home in New York, and neither Percy nor I dared visit right away. It was too much a reminder of the world we were part of, the world that led to us falling into…into Tartarus. Granted, it probably wasn't the best solution, but at the time, we were so emotionally fragile, that anything was better than having to be a part of that world again so soon. We needed a few months to heal. Eventually though, we both visited again, and things were actually pretty good. Things were still harder than before there, with how weak and unstable the campers had first seen Percy and I, but it was nice nonetheless.

As much as I'd originally mistrusted and even been prepared to fight Reyna, she really was a great person. She was the daughter of the Roman war goddess, and we had a surprisingly large amount in common. The first and only other time I'd been able to really talk to her, it had been mostly an attempt to earn trust, and it had been rudely interrupted by an eidolon-possessed Leo firing on the camp. Now, I got to really talk to her, and I really liked her.

After lunch, Percy and I had been invited to practice some Roman style fighting with some of the centurions. Percy, however, had been called away to help deal with some Praetor-involved matter and couldn't come. He'd told me to go anyway, and, though I felt bad that he couldn't participate, I _was_ curious. During the short time Percy had spent at the Roman camp, he'd picked up a few foreign tricks, and I was excited to learn them too.

It turns out that Roman fighting is pretty different from Greek, but it still has an organized pattern and flow to it. Once you learn the pattern, the style isn't very hard to understand at all. A centurion named Aaron showed me a few things for about an hour and I spent another hour or two practicing them.

By the time I was finished, I could tell Aaron was impressed. He was very bad at hiding it, and it made me feel good. Maybe I could earn some respect for children of Athena over the next day and a half. That, in itself, would make this trip worth it. The gods may have wronged me and my friends and showed us injustice more times than I could count, but, at the end of the day, Athena is still my mother, and she deserves to be respected as such.

I left the training area sweaty and feeling great. I decided I'd better take a shower, and made my way to the bath house. I won't get into detail, but Roman baths are _weird_. I'd never taken one before that day, and I'm still not sure how I felt about it.

I went to find Percy. I knew he was busy, but I felt bad, enjoying myself while he was stuck doing work. I wasn't a praetor, but I was pretty much an exception to the rules. Maybe I could help.

The principia was empty. I looked in a few other places, but the praetors were nowhere to be found. Finally, I decided to just ask someone, but of course, the campers would all be training when I need them. I wasn't about to interrupt them.

I settled on asking a Lare. I wasn't sure about the credibility of a ghost, but it was worth a try. He was very rude. Apparently, no matter how forgiving Roman demigods were toward Greeks, the Lares were not.

Honestly, I can't say I was surprised. Ghosts are always holding grudges about things that happened in their lifetimes. I should have expected it. Whatever. That was the last time I would ask a ghost for help.

I followed the Lare's directions, and made my way to New Rome. He had said the Praetors were there.

I left my knife with Terminus, who regarded me relatively coolly. He was nicer than the Lare at least. I entered New Rome.

The city took my breath away, just like it had the first time. The architecture… _gods,_ it was beautiful. I wandered through the streets, and arrived at the Forum.

Jason and Reyna were inside, along with Percy, who was now also clad in a purple cape, the sign of a praetor. They looked up at my entrance. Percy smiled at me.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," I said apologetically. Maybe I shouldn't have come…

"You're not," Reyna assured me, "We were finishing up anyway."

A few minutes later, the four of us walked out of the Forum. We strolled around New Rome for a little while, Jason and Reyna pointing out different things that had been changed since the last time Percy and I were here. It was nice, almost like we were just normal friends taking a walk together.

We stopped in front of the coffee shop Reyna had gotten me hot chocolate from last June. Suddenly, something ran into Percy from behind, almost pitching him forward. Lucky for him, Percy was quick on his feet. He caught his balance before he could fall. Now I could see what, or rather, _who, _had run into him. It was a little girl, maybe six or seven, with pigtails in her blonde hair and dimples in her cheeks. She was adorable.

"Percy Jackson!" she exclaimed, looking up at him with adoring blue eyes.

Percy smiled widely down at her. "Hey Julia! How ya doing?" he asked her in a way that made my heart melt a little. Julia's smile widened.

"Good! Where'd you go? You went on that big flying boat and didn't come back!" she demanded.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Percy told her, "I was at home, in New York. Jason came back here while I went to the other camp, my camp."

"Oh," Julia replied, like that explained everything, "Did you save the world with Jason? And Frank and Hazel?"

We all smiled at that. "Yeah, I did, but you know who else did too?" Percy asked her. Julia looked at him with big eyes and shook her head. Percy turned to me. "Julia, this is Annabeth. She saved the world more than any of us." I could feel my face heating up.

"I did just as much as everyone else," I protested, while Percy and Jason stared at me strangely. Okay, so maybe I did embark on a solo quest to follow the Mark of Athena and find the Athena Parthenos and save it from _her._ And so what if I was the first and only one to ever return alive? Percy went through Tartarus with me and the others fought off hordes of monsters and Gaea's army and got us out of there…"

"Yeah, okay," Percy replied sarcastically. I ignored him and turned to Julia, who was eyeing me curiously.

"Hi, cutie. I'm Percy's friend. Your name's Julia?" I asked. She smiled and nodded at me. I smiled back.

"Well, Julia it was nice to see you, but we have to go eat dinner now," Reyna told the little girl.

"Your mommy's probably looking for you by now too," Jason added. Julia looked sad for a minute, but then she smiled again and nodded, turning to Percy.

"Will you be here tomorrow?" she asked him. Percy smiled and nodded at her. "Yay!" Julia exclaimed, clapping her hands adorably.

"Maybe we'll see you tonight," Jason told her, "We have to come back later for a meeting." Julia nodded happily. She gave everyone a hug goodbye and ran off down the road to a woman who seemed to be waiting for her, probably her mother.

Walking to the Mess Hall, Percy turned to me, scowling playfully, "My friend,huh?"

"Of course, Seaweed Brain, at least last I checked. Wouldn't you agree?" I told him sarcastically.

He glanced at Reyna and Jason who were in front of us, obviously pretending not to listen, and leaned in close to me. "That, and so much more," he whispered. I had to smile. I leaned in and gave him a quick kiss, grabbed his hand, and continued walking. It was those little things that made me love Percy that much more. Together, holding hands and grinning, we followed Jason and Reyna to the Mess Hall for dinner, and I couldn't help thinking that, despite everything that had happened in the past, I'd actually had fun that day.

This place wasn't Camp Half-Blood, that was for sure, but it wasn't necessarily bad either. It was different, but in a good way. Sure, things were strange here. I was used to the laid back scene at the other camp, but maybe the strict Roman way wasn't as bad as I'd originally made it out to be. I'd thought that I'd had a pretty good idea of what Camp Jupiter was like when we spent a few hours here before the Giant war. It turned out I was wrong. I'd probably never admit it, but I was wrong about the Romans and their camp. Heck, I'd only been there for a few hours, and I'd already begun to notice it. It wasn't, nor would it ever be, Camp Half-Blood, home, but Camp Jupiter was actually a really nice place, and I was glad I'd agreed to come.

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**Like I said before, this goes along with ch. 16 of my other story Long Road Ahead, so please go read that too, if you haven't already!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the next chapter!**

**Please R&R!**

**Enjoy.**

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After dinner was the Senate meeting. Reyna had announced that all those who were to be there, were to meet at the Senate House in an hour.

I had no idea what to do, so I just grabbed Percy's hand and allowed him to lead me, as he seemed to know where he was going. I really hated not knowing…

We arrived at a group of houses on the Via Principalis, three of them. As far as I knew, there had only been two the last time I was here…

"Aren't these the praetor's houses?" I asked.

"Yup," Percy answered.

"Why are there three?" I questioned.

Percy smirked a little. "When I was named Praetor last summer, Reyna gave me Jason's house to live in, but it full of his stuff, and I'd already taken his job. I didn't want to take his house too." I smiled. That was such a Percy-thing to think. "I ended up just staying in the Fifth Cohort barracks. Jason told me earlier that the Romans built this house for me, so I wouldn't have to stay in the barracks, because, apparently, that's not what praetors do."

"They built a house just for you?" I asked, kind of surprised.

Percy nodded. "I would have been happy to stay with the Fifth Cohort, though…"

"So, if there's normally only two praetors, what happens when you aren't one anymore?"

Percy shrugged. "They knock it down," he said easily, "or turn it into something else."

"Well aren't you special," I replied sarcastically. Percy just grinned and opened the door, leading me inside. From the outside, the houses looked uniform, but on the inside, I could tell this house had been specially made for Percy. The walls were blue and green, and the wooden floors, the color of beach sand. The furniture was light blue. I realized that Percy's house here, very closely resembled the Poseidon cabin back at Camp Half-Blood, and I knew Jason must have been behind this.

"Um, am I supposed to be in here?" I asked Percy.

Percy shrugged. "I don't think anyone cares. I brought you in here. It's not like they'll tell me what I can and can't do." I held back a chuckle.

"Don't let it go to your head," I told him cheekily. Percy snorted. After a few seconds, I was serious again. "Percy, what are we going to do about tonight?" I know he knew what I meant. Since coming home from the quest, from hell, Percy and I had been unable to sleep alone. The one time we'd been separated had not gone well for either of us. How were we supposed to sleep tonight, if we weren't together? We certainly didn't need rumors spreading throughout camp about any "funny business" either.

Percy sighed. "We'll figure it out," he reassured me, "I'll talk to Reyna or something." I nodded. I guess that was the best he could do. Percy changed the subject. "I gotta go get ready, wait here. I'll be right back. Percy left the room, and I sat down on the couch to wait.

Not a minute later, the doorbell rang.

"Annabeth!" Percy called, "Can you get that?" I sighed and stood up. This was going to be interesting…

I opened the door to see Reyna standing there, holding, what looked like, clothing of some sort.

When I didn't say anything, she said, "Hi."

"Hi," I replied carefully. Part of my mind noted that I was being kind of rude, but I was more concerned about the very good possibility that Reyna was going to chew me out for being in a praetor's house. She didn't.

"I figured you'd be here," she told me, without a trace of unfriendliness. I guess she was over the fact that Percy had chosen me over her. I nodded, and she continued, "I was wondering if you were planning on attending the Senate meeting tonight."

"Yeah, I was," I told her, "If it's okay."

"It's fine, but I wanted to give you this," she said, holding out the fabric in her hands, "It's a toga. I would imagine it would be kind of uncomfortable if you were the only one in attendance who wasn't wearing one."

"Oh," I said pretty stupidly, before coming out of my shock. She wasn't here to yell at me or criticize me. She was here to make sure I felt comfortable in a foreign place. I'd thought she had only been nice to me earlier because Percy and Jason had been around, but now I realized that she was really okay with me. "Oh," I repeated, "Thank you." I smiled at Reyna, who smiled back.

"Good luck putting it on," she told me, "It took me half an hour the first time I tried."

I laughed. "Thanks."

Reyna nodded. "I'll leave you to get ready then," she said, and left. I shut the door and walked back inside, unfolding the clothes, and holding them up. I held a purple Camp Jupiter T-shirt and a plain white toga, nothing fancy, but that was fine with me. It was nice of Reyna to think of me.

I explored the house, looking for either a spare bedroom or a bathroom to change in. I found a bathroom first. I switched my everyday green T-shirt, for the SPQR one, and went to work with the toga. Maybe it was beginners luck, or maybe it had something having to do with being a daughter of the goddess of wisdom, battle strategy, and _crafts,_ but I figured it out pretty quickly. I was ready in less than five minutes.

I resumed my place on the couch, waiting for Percy. After a few minutes, I glanced at the clock. We had twenty five minutes until the meeting, and we still had to get there. I was about to knock on Percy's bedroom door, when he entered the living room, and I had to try with every ounce of my being, not to burst out in laughter right there. He wore a purple T-shirt, same as me, but it was bunched and crooked from his attempts at putting on the toga. Said toga was wrapped around him like a bed sheet, and not at all correct. Somehow, he'd managed to wrap himself up in it so well, that he could barely move his arms. It was twisted and falling off, and seemingly tied in knots. I knew immediately, that only someone with a special skill could mess it up that badly.

Percy didn't even look up as he walked into the room. He was too busy trying, and failing, to untangle himself. "Annabeth, do you have any idea how you're supposed to wear this _gods- forsaken thing?_" I could feel myself turning red at the strain of holding back laughter, but I stood up and made my way over to him. He looked up for the first time, and saw my face, which was probably pretty obvious with my amusement at the situation. "Don't laugh at me!" Percy said, like an eight year old.

I lost it. I doubled over, laughing so hard, my insides hurt.

After a minute, I managed to calm down enough to talk, "Having some trouble there, Seaweed Brain?"

Percy glared at me, but I could tell he wasn't really mad. For the first time, he seemed to register that I wasn't dressed the same way I had been when he'd left me in the living room. "Uh, what's with the toga?" he asked me.

"Reyna dropped it off," I explained. "She thought I would be more comfortable if I wasn't the only one in normal clothes at the Senate meeting."

"Oh," Percy replied simply, before he apparently realized something," Wait a minute. So you put that on, for the first time, without help, did it right, _and_ finished before I did?" he asked incredulously.

"Yup," I replied innocently, though I was still smiling a little.

Percy sighed, "Figures," he said, shaking his head, but I could tell he wasn't as upset as he was trying to be, "Just help me out here, will you."

I smiled wider, "You're such a Seaweed Brain," I told him, and went to work.

Five minutes later, Percy was untangled, and looking much more professional, now that he wasn't tied in knots in his own clothing. I picked up the purple cape that he had brought out with him, and put it on him, clasping it in the front, and taking a step back, smiling proudly.

Percy looked down at himself, then back at me, with a kind of amazed expression. "Is there something you haven't told me?" he asked, eyeing me funny.

I grinned. "You're an idiot, and I love you anyway."

Percy chuckled and kissed me, short and sweet. "You're amazing, you know that?" he asked me when we pulled away.

"I know," I told him cheekily. Percy grinned and grabbed my hand, leading me toward the door.

Along the way, we were met by Frank, who wore a red toga, and Jason, who wore clothes matching Percy's, white regal toga, and purple cape. Both had lifted up the bottoms to walk, showing their jeans underneath.

"You clean up nicely," Jason told Percy, jokingly. I realized that this was the first time Jason was seeing Percy dressed like this. Granted, he had been dressed like this the day the Argo II landed, but I kind of ruined it by Judo- throwing him to the ground.

To put it mildly, togas were annoying. Mine actually fit pretty well, so I didn't have much trouble with it, but it was like wearing a dress, and I hadn't done that in years. Some of the demigods that passed us were having much more trouble. Their hems would slide down, and they'd have to pull them up or trip on them. They fell off shoulders, and dragged in the back. It was obvious that no one really liked them.

I had read somewhere, that togas were like the tuxedos of Ancient Rome, and I had a feeling the Romans of ancient times hadn't liked them any better than the Romans of today did.

Percy didn't seem to have any trouble with his regalia, but I wasn't sure if that was because I'd put it on him, or if he just got lucky.

The four of us made our way toward the Pomerian Line, and I could see the Terminus statues lining the border of New Rome, now only fifteen feet in front of us.

"ID please!" the statue shouted at Frank, who was first, as we approached. Frank held up his Centurion's mark, and Terminus allowed him to pass. The son of Mars stood off to the side, waiting for his friends.

"Welcome, praetors!" the god greeted Percy and Jason. "Jason, your toga is crooked. Percy… well, actually, your attire is perfect, good job." I gave Percy a _"hmm, I wonder how that could be"_ look, before turning to the statue.

"Annabeth Chase," Terminus announced, "Daughter of Athena, honorary council member. You may proceed." I thanked him, a bit confused, and joined the others.

"Honorary council member?" I asked Percy, too quiet for the others to hear.

Percy shrugged, "I'm not complaining," he whispered back.

He grabbed my hand, and we continued walking. I realized that the little legacy, Julia, who we had seen earlier wasn't here tonight, but then I realized that it was probably too late for her to be outside. She couldn't have been more than seven.

At the Senate House, Percy and Jason took their seats up front (Percy had been given a throne- like chair, to match Jason's and Reyna's). I suddenly became worried. Where was I supposed to sit? Frank nudged me. "You can sit with me," he told me. I was suddenly very thankful for Frank Zhang.

I don't know much about Senate meetings, but I guess it went okay. Just like Percy had predicted, Octavian stole the show, and was obviously aggravating everyone. I was very grateful when Reyna pretty much told him to shut his mouth.

I tried to follow the events of the meeting, but I didn't understand most of it, which was pretty frustrating, but, from the looks of things, Percy didn't either. He mostly kept quiet, which was how I knew he was just as lost as I was, maybe even more, since I had Frank explaining things here and there, in my ear. I could tell why Percy didn't like these meetings. They were _boring._ Despite what my boyfriend might say, I _do_ have ADHD, and it was driving me crazy the whole time. Romans must not have this problem…

Finally, the Senate meeting ended. The praetors stuck around to finalize things for about fifteen minutes. I sat in the front row, waiting, until, surprisingly, I was called to join in on the conversation. It was mostly about plans to start adding an addition to the library in town, which had been a topic of conversation during the meeting, one of the few I'd actually followed.

"Annabeth, you can stay with me tonight, if you don't want to stay with one of the cohorts," Reyna offered, as the four of us made our way out of the Senate House. Percy and I exchanged glances. I turned to Reyna, and noticed Jason giving me a knowing, amused look.

I had no idea what to say, so I was beyond glad when Percy spoke up, but I quickly became horrified. "Um, Reyna," he said, "I, uh, was just gonna have her sleep with me." Wow, Seaweed Brain, could you have worded that any _worse_?"

"Oh," Reyna said in a small voice. I felt my cheeks heating up. I smacked Percy's arm.

"It's not like that!" I told her, more embarrassed than I'd been in a long time and desperate to be done with this conversation. Percy seemed to think about what he'd just said, and realized his mistake. He turned pink too.

"Oh, gods, no, not like that! I meant, I mean… Since going through, you know… _Tartarus_, it's hard to sleep alone. The nightmares... It's not like _that! _I meant- ugh!" He covered his eyes with his hands, shaking his head in embarrassment.

Jason burst out laughing. Great.

I sighed. "Okay, let me explain this," I said, pausing to glare at Percy, then turned back to Reyna. "Since coming home, the only way Percy and I can sleep at night is if we're together. Otherwise, the nightmares are unbearable." Reyna nodded, like this made sense. "But if you want me to, I can try to stay with-"

"No!" Reyna said, no longer looking so uncomfortable. The same could not be said for me. "No, absolutely, you should stay with Percy. Gods, I can't imagine how hard it's been for you two."

My face still felt pretty hot, but it felt like a dumbbell had just been lifted off my shoulders. "Thanks," I told Reyna gratefully and glared at Jason, who had stopped laughing, but was still smiling and chuckling occasionally. He stopped immediately.

We had stopped walking for the duration of that conversation, and we began walking again, but this time, in silence. No one said anything as we made it to the Via Principalis, and to the houses.

"Goodnight, guys," Reyna said, as she turned in the direction of her house. Jason, Percy, and I stood in front of the three structures for a minute.

"Sorry," Jason said to Percy, "but, man, that was hilarious." Percy glared at him, while I rolled my eyes.

"You just wait, Grace," Percy said. Jason just chuckled.

I sighed, "Goodnight, Jason," I told him, and grabbed Percy's hand, leading him toward the door of his house.

Once inside, I turned and glared at Percy. "I'm sorry!" he said, "I didn't mean to say it like that, I swear!" He looked at me, pleading with those eyes of his, for me to not be mad. I tried, I really did, but the more I tried, the more my anger just melted away. Gods, I loved this guy, even if he was an idiot at times, and I hated being mad at him, which made it difficult to ever be.

"Seaweed Brain," I said, but smiled. Percy visibly relaxed.

"Gods, that was so embarrassing," he said, pulling me close, and burying his head in my hair. "I love you," he said after a minute.

"I love you too," I told him, pulling away, "but next time, I explain the sleeping arrangements," I told him, dead serious.

Percy smiled. "Gladly," he replied, and kissed me.

That night, I slept in Percy's arms, like I did every night. And, to be honest, there's no place I'd rather be.

I'd been pretty hesitant to visit the Romans this weekend, but I was actually pretty glad I'd decided to come. I was learning that I'd been wrong about them. They were different, but not necessarily in a negative way.

And Reyna. Gods, I'd been wrong about her. The first time I met her, I'd immediately marked her as a potential enemy. I'd done everything in my power to earn her trust, but I'd never really paid any attention to her at all. I hadn't really wanted her trust; I'd just wanted Percy back. I hadn't really cared whether the camps could ever unite; I'd just wanted to finish the quest and please my mother. I'd thought I'd known a good deal about her, but, in reality, I'd known virtually nothing.

Reyna was a good person, a good leader, and a good friend. The longer I was here, and the more I got to know her; the more I learned, and the more I got to like her. She and I had a lot in common, and I felt bad that I'd been so quick to originally judge her.

She was a good person, leading a bunch of good people, well, mostly. Octavian came into question, but other than that, they were good people. Percy had told me this during the quest, but I hadn't listened, but now I was learning he was right. I may be a daughter of the wisdom goddess, and I may consider myself smart, but when it came to the Romans, I had been quite the opposite. When it came to people and friends, Percy was the genius, no matter how much he called me one. When it came down to it, Percy knew how to make great friends, and if he trusted them, I should have too.

Maybe it wasn't a matter of the Romans learning to respect the children of Athena after all. Maybe it a matter of me learning to respect them.

* * *

**What did you think? Let me know! Please review.  
**

**I'm guessing this will be about 4 chapters, but we'll see.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, Guys! Here's chapter 3. Sorry it took so long for me to update. Writers Block is a killer!**

**So, I'm not really that happy with this chapter, but it's all I've got, so hopefully you don't hate it too much.**

**The next (and last) chapter will be better, I promise!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO.**

**R&R**

* * *

The next morning, I woke up to the smell of pancakes filling the house. I smiled and got out of bed, making my way to the kitchen. When I got there, I found Percy, standing in front of the stove, in his pajamas, flipping pancakes in a pan. I approached him, smiling, and hugged him from behind. He stiffened for a split second, a now normal occurrence since our not so nice trip through hell, and relaxed again, turning to smile at me.

"Isn't breakfast in the mess hall?" I asked.

Percy shrugged. "I'm hungry now," he replied, "Besides, the food's better at Camp Half-Blood." I chuckled. He had a point. Don't get me wrong, the Roman food was great, and they knew variety, but nothing beat the BBQ at home.

Percy grinned at me as I sat on the countertop. He held up the frying pan, showing me the freshly finished pancake. "Want one?" he asked.

I smiled and nodded. Percy flipped the pancake onto a plate, drizzling maple syrup onto it, and handed it to me. I took a bite as Percy poured more batter into the pan. It was delicious. Believe it or not, Percy's actually a pretty good cook, although, with Sally as his mother, it shouldn't be very surprising. He wasn't as good as she was, but all the time spent in the kitchen with her over the years had paid off after all.

When his breakfast was ready, Percy hopped up on the counter next to me, and we sat, eating our breakfast and forgetting the world.

* * *

An hour later, Percy and I strolled leisurely into the mess hall, holding hands. Breakfast was over and the few campers who remained were finishing up. We were greeted by a select few, but overall, we were ignored. Not seeing anyone worth talking to, Percy led me outside again, and toward the principia.

Inside, of course, sat Jason and Reyna, studying what appeared to be a map, though it was hard to tell from across the room. The Roman praetors looked up as we entered, greeting us with smiles.

"Oh, good," Reyna said, "Annabeth, you're here. I have a question for you." I couldn't help the confused look that surely spread across my face. Reyna had a question for _me_? I was genuinely surprised.

"Um, you do?" I asked as we approached the table.

Reyna nodded, looking down at the map before her. Now that I was near it, I could see it was a layout of the Field of Mars. "You're a daughter of Athena," she said. It wasn't a question. I waited. "And, from what I hear, you're one heck of a strategist." She looked up at me.

I nodded slowly, waiting for the point. "Yeah." I answered slowly.

Reyna continued, "War games are tonight, and the Field of Mars needs to be built and set up soon. I was hoping you would have an idea or two on how to change it up a little bit, because Jason and I aren't having any luck. The campers need a challenge every once and a while."

I blinked, trying to decide whether I'd heard her right. Reyna was asking my help in setting up the war games? I mean, sure, we'd made peace months ago, but still…

"Uh, yeah," I replied, struggling for words, "Yeah, sure." I squeezed Percy's hand before letting go and closed the gap between me and the table. I leaned over, across from Reyna, and studied the diagram.

Jason stood up. "While they're doing that," he said to Percy, "I need your help."

"With what?" Percy asked.

"There's a conflict on Temple Hill. Something about offerings to the gods not being adequate enough."

Percy scowled. "Says who?"

"Octavian," Jason answered. Enough said.

Percy didn't reply, other than to sigh in exasperation and shake his head. He motioned for Jason to lead the way, and he followed his fellow praetor out the door.

"Sit down," Reyna told me, gesturing to the now empty chair beside her. I hesitated. I was honored, I really was, but I wasn't a praetor, and I shouldn't be sitting in the chair of one, invited or not. Reyna noticed my apparent confliction. "It's fine," she told me, "C'mon. I want your help. Sit, I insist." I stood there for another second or two, but eventually I made my way around the table and took a seat next to Reyna.

I continued to study the map carefully for a few minutes, possibilities swirling around in my head. Tonight, the Romans planned on playing the same game Percy had on his first night at Camp Jupiter. He'd explained it in great detail, so between that and all my experience with Capture the Flag, I had a pretty good idea what I was up against.

For over an hour, Reyna and I worked, discussing different techniques and defense options. I had to admit, we worked well together. We were both daughters of war goddesses, and that had to count for something, because when it came to battle tactics, Reyna was right there with me. It was nice.

By the time we finished, the layout was covered in sketches and notes. The Romans wanted something different, and that's exactly what they were going to get. The Legion wouldn't know what hit them.

"You know," Reyna said, as she put the finishing touches of their work, "You and Percy should play tonight."

"We were planning on it," I told her, "If it's okay with you."

"Of course," she replied easily, as she put her pencil down and slipped the completed design into an envelope. "Honestly," she continued, "I'm curious to see what would happen."

I smiled, standing to follow Reyna out of the principia.

A few minutes after the plans had been handed off to a Vulcan camper, Percy and Jason rejoined us. Both looked annoyed.

"I swear, one day Octavian will learn to stop stirring up trouble every five minutes," Jason said, sounding particularly angry and scary, "Like when he gets struck by lightning."

Percy just nodded curtly. I knew Octavian drove him crazy. He drove _me_ crazy. And honestly, the thought of that scrawny scarecrow going up against Percy and Jason, two extremely powerful sons of the Big Three, seemed almost laughable.

Jason sighed. "Did you get everything figured out for tonight?" he asked Reyna and me.

Reyna nodded. "I gave it to the builders a few minutes ago." Jason nodded his understanding, but he was obviously quite mad, though he was trying to hide it.

"Okay, good." Jason said, "I need to file an incident report now, so I'll see you guys in a bit." With that, he walked away, toward the principia. Very rarely did I see Jason get this angry, but if anyone could make him that way, it was Octavian.

Reyna sighed as she watched Jason walk away. "I'd better go make sure he's okay," she said, "See you two at lunch," and she too, left us.

I turned to face Percy, who was trying to look natural, but I could see right through his mask. He was livid. "Hi," I said softly.

"Hi," Percy replied, his voice still too steely and deathly calm to be normal. I decided to try a different approach. I leaned in and kissed him sweetly. It worked every time. I could feel the tension leaving Percy's body, as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to him. After a minute, he pulled away and held me, burying his head in my hair. "I love you," Percy whispered, and I knew that he was better now.

"I love you too," I told him as we separated. "C'mon, Seaweed Brain, I know what will make you feel better," I said, grabbing his hand and leading him in the direction of the training grounds.

"Didn't you already do that?" Percy asked, keeping pace.

"Yeah, but I'm gonna make you feel even better…" I explained, "By kicking your butt in a sparring match." This elicited the smile I'd been waiting for. I smiled too.

"Oh, really?" he asked me with a playful look in his eye.

"Yup," I replied, "and I'll beat you there too." With that, I let go of Percy's hand and took off, sprinting.

"Hey!" he yelled, and I knew he'd run after me.

I managed to make it to the training area a split second before Percy. I was faster, but he was taller, with longer legs that could propel him farther, faster.

"I win," I announced, grinning at my boyfriend, who stuck his tongue out at me in an oh-so-mature Percy fashion, grabbing and strapping on armor.

I rolled my eyes playfully and did the same. When I was finished, I unsheathed my dagger and grinned evilly at Percy, who matched my expression and uncapped Riptide, eyes never leaving mine.

We moved simultaneously; bronze clanging against bronze, the whole world disappearing except for Percy and the blades. Despite my constant mockery of Percy and his fighting skills, he was a fantastic fighter, and sparring him was actually much harder than I made it out to be. I'd trained with him for years, and we'd battled so many evils together, we knew the other's moves. I knew his style, as he knew mine. I knew his favorite techniques, and vice versa. Despite this, sparring with him still proved a challenge. Percy was said to be the best swordsman in the last three hundred years, and I had no trouble believing that, though I'd never tell him that.

After Tartarus, sparring hadn't been an option for a while. After everything we'd experienced down there, the thought of fighting Percy, who had literally been my lifeline for the duration of that awful trip and even for a while afterward, was just too much. I just couldn't do it, and I knew Percy felt the same way.

The first time we'd sparred after returning home had been after a particularly bad fight between Percy and I. I'd sought refuge at camp, and Percy had followed, finding me in the arena, eviscerating dummies left and right. I had been mad, and it had turned into me attacking Percy, who had defended, and it had turned into a sparring match, a heated, anger induced sparring match.

That had been one of the particularly bad post-Tartarus days, in which I was in a half mad state, and really shouldn't have been within a hundred feet of a knife, hence the turning on Percy fiasco. Fortunately, what had started off as a really terrible situation, turned into a sort of break through, which allowed Percy and I to get past our inability to train, spar, and, especially, fight monsters, which had come in handy particularly soon after.

As always, the match became a pattern in my mind, our feet moving in the deadly rhythm of trained warriors, because, all modestly aside, that's what we were. The moves became a dance, graceful, swift, and highly dangerous.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed, be it five minutes or an hour, but at some point, I ended up with my weapon against Percy's throat, while his was against mine. My face was inches away from his. He was breathing heavily and sweaty, but his eyes were shining with excitement and adrenaline, and they were seriously beautiful.

"Should we call it a draw?" Percy whispered, all competitiveness forgotten.

"Sure, Seaweed Brain," I replied.

We lowered our weapons and stepped away from each other, and for the first time, in gods know how long, I noticed we were not alone. We were surrounded by a crowd of people. Most were teenagers, but there were some adults mixed in too. Almost the entire Roman camp was there, eyes wide, I assumed, in amazement. Silence reigned.

Then, all at once, the Romans exploded into cheering and applause. I tried to prevent the blush that was rising to my cheeks, but it was probably useless. I stole a glance up at Percy, and was relieved to find that he was a bit pinker too.

"Um, thanks," Percy said after the cheering died down. Honestly, this whole situation was kind of uncomfortable, but part of me was glad for it. It was selfish and prideful, but I was glad the Romans had seen what I could do. Most of them still underestimated me, even after everything. Maybe now, they'd esteem me like they did Percy, or, at least, Frank and Hazel. It was hubris, I knew that, but it still didn't seem fair to me that Romans could come to Camp Half-Blood and be treated no different than Greeks, and yet, they couldn't do the same for us.

Thankfully, we were saved from the awkward situation by Reyna. "Okay, that's enough," she called, "Lunch will be served in thirty minutes. I suggest you all go and get yourselves ready for it." Faster than seemed possible, the Romans were gone, save Reyna.

"Thanks," I told her. She smiled and nodded once.

"I must say, I'm impressed." The praetor began, " I've never seen someone able to fight Percy and not be beaten within minutes."

I shrugged, "I been fighting with him for years," I told her, smiling at Percy, who smiled back.

"Well, I enjoyed watching it. I'll see you at lunch." With that, she left us.

I turned to Percy, who grinned at me. "Better?" I asked him.

He understood and nodded, smiling. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close, and leaned down to kiss me. It was short and sweet, meaningful. "But I like this way better than sparring," he said after we pulled away.

I chuckled. "Me too, but you really should go shower, because I'm not kissing you again until you do," I told him, wrinkling my nose to prove my point.

Percy scowled playfully, then grinned and took off toward the baths. I chuckled as I watched him go, shaking my head and following his example.

It was times like that when I remembered just how much I'd missed that side of Percy. For a while after Tartarus, things were too terrible and surreal to joke around, be silly, and have fun. It wasn't until Percy had begun to do so again, did I realize how much I really did love that side of him.

* * *

After lunch, Percy was asked to assist Jason and Reyna with something praetor- related. They gave me the choice of helping too, but I declined. I didn't know the Roman camp very well and probably wouldn't be much help anyway.

Instead, I decided I'd find Frank and Hazel, but before I could, they found me, well, Hazel did anyway. "Annabeth!" I heard, and turned toward the sound of my name to find the daughter of Pluto approaching, smiling as always.

"Hey," I greeted her, also smiling, "Where's Frank?"

"Guard duty," she answered.

I narrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "Don't you do that with him?" I asked.

"Normally, yeah, but there's a new recruit, and, being a Centurion, Frank has to train him." I nodded, but I could tell Hazel was a little mad about having to give up her job, be it temporary or not. I decided to change the subject.

"So, did you have anything in mind for the afternoon?" I asked her.

Hazel smiled. "I was thinking, if you weren't busy, that we could head into New Rome. We don't have any training exercises planned for today, so we don't have to be back here until dinner, and I don't think you've ever just been able to walk around the town before. It will be fun."

"That sounds great," I told her. I didn't care all that much about shopping, which was probably what we were going to be doing, but I wasn't going to tell Hazel that. She was right about me never having been able to just explore the town before. The closest I'd come was almost a year ago, and that night hadn't been the easiest. Besides, it wasn't like I had anything better to do.

We left our weapons with Terminus and entered the city limits. As always, New Rome took my breath away with its beauty. Hazel and I wandered around for a while, visiting a shop here and there. It was nice.

After about an hour, Julia found us. She and her mother were coming out of one of the many stores lining the street. The little girl smiled widely and ran up to us.

"Hi Julia," Hazel greeted her.

"Hi!" the little girl exclaimed. Julia's mother joined us. She said hi to Hazel, and introduced herself to me.

"I'm Katherine," she said, "You must be Annabeth Chase. I've heard a lot about you."

"I am. It's nice to meet you," I replied with a smile. I looked down when Julia tapped on my arm.

"Where's Percy?" she asked with big eyes.

I smiled down at her. "He's busy right now," I told her, "He's working."

"Oh," the legacy replied, looking a bit crestfallen.

"But," I added, "I can tell him you're looking for him. Maybe he can come and visit you later. Is that okay?" I quickly glanced from Julia to her mother, who nodded, smiling.

"Yay!" the little girl said, smiling again and clapping her hands. She turned to Hazel. "I'm gonna see Percy!" Julia told her.

"That's great!" Hazel responded, matching the young legacy's enthusiasm.

I turned to Katherine. "Is that okay with you?" I asked her.

She nodded, smiling. "Of course," she said, "Percy is Julia's hero, in case you haven't noticed. She'd love it. I just hope you don't feel obligated to do so."

"Oh, it's fine," I told her, "Percy won't mind at all."

"Besides," Katherine added wistfully, "I would never turn away the heroes of Rome." I chuckled and nodded, blushing a little. She continued, "The two of you could come for dinner if you'd like."

"That sounds great," I answered. Katherine smiled. I looked at Hazel, who was playing with Julia; then, at the time. It was after three already. Percy and Frank were probably done by now. "We should probably get going," I announced. Hazel nodded and said goodbye to Julia.

"Bye, Julia," I said, "We'll see you in a little while."

"Bye!" Julia exclaimed happily, hugging Hazel and me goodbye and rejoining her mother. We said goodbye to Katherine, and made our way back through New Rome.

Thirty minutes later, we had reached the Pomerian Line, retrieved our weapons from Terminus, and were back in the camp. We found Percy and Frank, who were looking for us, on the via principalis.

"Guess what," I told Percy.

"What?"

"Julia's mom invited us over for dinner tonight."

"Oh, really? That's cool," Percy said with a smile, "So how was your afternoon?"

I told him of Hazel and I exploring New Rome while he helped Jason and Reyna. He seemed kind of disappointed that he'd had to do work while we enjoyed ourselves, but he got over it pretty quickly. We spent the rest of the afternoon together, enjoying each other's company. It was peaceful. No one bothered us, and it was really nice.

I couldn't believe how wrong I'd been about the Romans and their home. Every minute I spent there drove that point home even more. I'd been expecting to be disliked and mistrusted, hero or not. That hadn't happened. Sure, the Romans weren't exactly my friends from Camp Half-Blood, but they were good people, good fighters, and good friends. I hadn't wanted to believe it at first, but now I was accepting it as fact, and I was okay with it. I found that I actually liked Camp Jupiter. I wasn't sure I could live there, but I could definitely stand to visit a little more often.

Being a daughter of Athena, pride was a problem for me. Hubris was my fatal flaw. Yet, for once, I was surprisingly okay with being proven wrong, even glad to be. Maybe I hadn't wanted to visit the Romans at first, but I was definitely glad we had, because this was a lesson I'd needed to learn.

About an hour later, Percy and I had changed for dinner. He grabbed my hand, and together, we made our way into New Rome to have dinner with Julia and her family.

And I had to admit, I was excited.

* * *

**What did you think? Let me know please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey Guys! Here's chapter 4! This will be the final chapter of this story, so I want to thank all of you who have read, reviewed, followed, and/or favorited this story. You all are awesome! Thanks a lot!**

**In case you didn't know this already, A New Perspective is kind of an excerpt from another one of my stories: Long Road Ahead. Please, if you haven't already, check out that story! Pretty please with sugar on top? :)**

**Anyway, to the story! As always, please R&R.**

**Disclaimer: PJO/HoO belong to Rick Riordan.**

* * *

Percy knocked on the front door and took a step back, glancing at me. I met his eyes, trying not to look nervous. We were having dinner with Julia, the cute little seven year old legacy who lived in New Rome, and her family, and truthfully, I didn't really know what to expect.

From what experience I'd had with the Romans, which, granted, wasn't very much, they were pretty good people and I actually liked most of them. That really only went for the campers though. I hadn't had much interaction with the grown Romans, very little actually, but Katherine, Julia's mother, had seemed friendly enough when I'd met her, and she'd been kind enough to invite us over for dinner, so I was trying to look on the bright side. Being a child of Athena however, not knowing things kind of drove me crazy.

Percy gently squeezed my hand, which was in his, and let go. A second later, the door opened to reveal Katherine, whom I'd briefly met earlier that day, a tall man with an athletic build, and Julia, who wore her adorable dimpled smile and bright blue eyes.

"Percy!" she exclaimed happily, and ran past her parents to greet us, or, actually, him. Percy smiled at the little girl and held his arms out as she ran to him and hugged him tightly, as if she hadn't just seen him a day earlier.

"Hey, Kiddo," Percy greeted her, smiling almost as wide as Julia.

"Hi!" she replied, nearly exploding with energy and excitement, which was probably from ADHD, which she probably had.

Julia let go of Percy and gave me a hug which was almost as big as the one she had given him. When she let go of me, Percy and I greeted her parents. I greeted Katherine and turned to her husband, who shook my hand and introduced himself as Robert, then turned to Percy. The couple didn't seem to know what to do with Percy. Normally, Praetors were greeted formally with bows and respectful nods. However this wasn't the Legion and that wasn't really Percy's style. They settled with handshakes and introductions.

"Come on in," Katherine told us, beckoning us with her hand, "Dinner is ready."

The meal consisted of traditional Italian food, which made sense, I guess, being as they were, well, Roman. It was good though, and Percy certainly had no problem with it.

Katherine and Robert asked many questions, mostly about Camp Half-Blood and the Quest to Greece. Thankfully, they seemed to realize that Tartarus was still a touchy subject, and they left that topic alone. The conversation never really ended. Not that it would have anyway, because whenever the story or conversation became uninteresting to Julia, she would interrupt with questions of her own, most of which, didn't really pertain to the current subject of conversation, but they were answered nonetheless.

* * *

Faster than I'd realized, it was time for us to leave. As we made our way toward the door, Julia kept bringing us pictures she'd made, and at the end, I had a handful of colorful papers, almost as many as Percy had. We said goodbye to Katherine and Robert, and gave hugs to Julia, who was sad that we had to leave, but we promised to visit her one more time before we left Camp Jupiter, and eventually, she allowed us to leave.

As we walked through New Rome, making our way back to the City Limits, where Terminus' statue stood guard, I couldn't help thinking that I had actually enjoyed having dinner with Julia and her parents, and I was pleasantly surprised, because I hadn't been sure that I would. The thought left me in a good mood, and Percy walking next to me, holding my hand, only helped.

* * *

We made our way back into the camp headed back to Percy's house to drop off our drawings and change clothes. The war games were tonight, in about half an hour, and Percy and I had promised to participate.

* * *

We walked toward the Field of Mars, strapping on the last of our armor, which, even though we were walking, proved no problem at all. From years of battle training, if you learn nothing else, you learn how to put armor on like a pro. Only a few of the participating demigods were there when we got there, but I could see groups of them making their way from the mess hall and the barracks.

A few minutes later, everyone was assembled, for the most part, into their cohorts. Percy and I stood up front and off to the side with Jason, while Reyna explained the rules and the objective of the game. The first and second cohorts were one team, while the third, fourth, and fifth were on the other. Jason, was assigned to be with the First and Second cohorts, while Percy was put with the Third, Fourth, and Fifth.

Reyna assigned me to be on Jason's team, with cohorts one and two. At first, I wasn't exactly happy about this arrangement. I mean, aside from Jason, I didn't really know anyone in the first two cohorts, and, of course, I wasn't with Percy, which wouldn't have been my first choice, but, I reasoned, victory over Percy was always fun, so maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all.

I made my way toward my team, expecting to take orders from whoever was giving them, most likely Jason, and do the best I could to win.

Our team was on the offensive, going in and trying to take the other team's banner. I didn't know much about the opposing team's abilities, aside from Frank, Hazel, and obviously, Percy, but I knew Percy alone would be a huge advantage for them, and I was certain that he would be leading.

I joined the group as the first and second cohorts assembled, half a mile away from the fortress, obviously waiting for orders and the plan. Jason stood a little in front of them, as the last few made their way over, but he didn't appear to be in charge, though if he wasn't, I had no idea who was. The son of Jupiter was scanning the crowd of Romans, as if looking for someone. He met my eyes, and seemed satisfied that I'd made it or something, then he turned to the crowd, as if he was going to address them, but he didn't. He simply waited as the last few Romans joined the group. When the team was together, the Romans all quieted, as if by some signal I'd missed, and looked at Jason expectantly, but the son of Jupiter wasn't addressing them. He wasn't even looking at them. He was looking directly at…

Me.

The Romans began following the praetor's gaze, and pretty soon, almost the entire first and second cohorts were looking at me expectantly. I blinked and glanced behind me, but I was at the back of the group, and there was no one behind me. For a moment, I felt stupid, but it was quickly replaced again with confusion.

My eyes darted back and forth between the faces of the Legionnaires staring at me, before finally settling on Jason, since he was the most familiar and, at least right then, the least intimidating.

"What?" I asked, which sounded stupid, but at the moment, I didn't care. Jason cracked a smile, amused at my confusion.

"Come up here," he told me, gesturing with his hand.

I narrowed my eyes. "Um, why?" I asked. The rest of the team collectively caught it's breath. Praetors weren't really supposed to be spoken back to, but I wasn't really Roman, so technically, I wasn't under Jason's authority. Besides, we'd been through too much for me to really think of Jason as superior.

Despite the team's reaction, Jason seemed unfazed by my question. _"Come here,"_ he said again, more forcefully this time, but his tone was light. He was enjoying this. I obliged and made my way through the crowd, which parted, allowing me through. Soon, I was standing next to Jason, in front of the Legionnaires.

"What am I doing up here?" I asked Jason. I was only talking to him, not speaking very loud, but I could tell the Romans were straining to hear what we were saying.

"You're leading," Jason told me, loud enough for the entire team to hear.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What?"

"You heard me," Jason replied, "You're a daughter of Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom and _Battle Strategy._ You're one heck of a strategist, a lot better than me, and I know firsthand that your plans are pretty darn good, and that they _work_. So, you're going to lead us tonight."

"Really?" I asked. It sounded pretty stupid, even to me, but I hadn't been expecting that. At all.

"Yeah," Jason answered, and then quietly added, grinning evilly, "Besides, I can't let Percy's team win." His words caused a smile to slowly spread across my face.

"Okay," I said finally, "Okay, sure." The Romans politely applauded, all except Octavian, who stood front and center, and was clearly not happy, which was oddly gratifying.

I explained the basic layout of my plan and the best way to go about it, and where I thought the other team's banner would most likely be. Jason helped when I started assigning positions, explaining who seemed best fit for each job, which helped a lot, being as I knew little to nothing of almost everyone.

My plan was pretty straightforward. The team would divide up into two groups, a big one and a smaller one. The larger one would advance from the front, as a diversion, while the other advanced from behind a few minutes later. The smaller group would be the one that actually went after the other team's banner, while the larger kept Percy's team occupied.

As I assigned tasks to each person, the Romans listened intently, sometimes nodding in approval with my choices, which made the overall discomfort of the situation better. Pretty soon, everyone had been assigned positions and tasks, except for me and Jason.

"You should lead the group around the back," Jason told me, loud enough for everyone to hear. I turned from the group before me to look at him.

"Are you sure? I was thinking you would want that job," I replied.

Jason shook his head. "No. This is your plan and you're leading it. You should go for the glory tonight." Then, he added quietly enough that only I heard,"Plus, I've seen you and Percy fight. If anyone can hold him off, it's you."

I blinked. I hadn't been expecting that. I had been planning on leading the first group in the diversion. "Uh, okay. Sure," I said and turned again to face the Romans before me. "One last thing," I told them, "Watch out for the water cannons. The fortress is lined with them, and they have Percy. That's a bad combination for us." The team murmured and nodded to each other. "Okay," I concluded, "Get into position. Good luck." The Romans cheered and did as I told them.

The game started a few minutes later, when night had fallen and everyone was in position. Jason had led the first group in and the fighting had commenced. We had given ourselves a wide berth to get around to the back of the fortress, but I could hear the metallic clang of swords connecting against each other and the splashing of water as Percy used the water cannons to his advantage, though we weren't in range yet.

I led the group over the walls, into the enemy base, where we were met with all of two guards, which we were able to take down easily, before they could call for backup, though they probably weren't going to get any anyway, as the rest of their comrades were engaged in battle at the front. Apparently "divide and conquer" wasn't a motto Romans were familiar with, or, at least, no one had registered that there may be more of us.

I led the group down the corridors, toward where I was almost positive the banner was being held. We were practically there when we were met with the first wave of resistance, a group from Fourth Cohort. That was when all hell broke loose.

The Romans fought well on both sides, so we were pretty evenly matched. About half of our group was left in the chaos, but they kept the opponents occupied, allowing me, along with the remaining half, to continue on.

We were met with more resistance along the way, and I was forced to leave a few Romans behind, due to injuries or fighting, and continue on. I'd never liked doing that, be it a game or not, but I had no choice if we wanted to win. It was the only way we wouldn't be overrun.

As we progressed, we were met with hordes of opposition from the other team, and I realized that, maybe, they weren't as ill-prepared as I'd originally thought. Percy's leadership and strategy skills had improved hugely from his years spent at Camp Half-Blood, and probably around me, but he was still a son of Poseidon. He would always be more brawn than brain. I, on the other hand, was a daughter of Athena. Battle strategy was in my blood. It was one of the main things that made me who I was, demigodly speaking at least, and Athena's plans never failed. Mine, well, they sometimes did, but very rarely. This one wasn't about to either.

I'd gone over with the team a basic Greek formation of fighting before the game. It was ridiculously simple and the Romans took to it easily, but the other legionnaires wouldn't know what was going on. In the midst of the chaos that surrounded us, I called for the formation to be made. The Romans obliged, and we pushed through.

We made it to the center of the enemy base and the opposing team's banner was soon ours. As we fought our way out, I led the way, which, boastful as it sounds, helped the team a lot.

I led the Romans a different way than we had come, which helped greatly in avoiding more adversaries. My plan was to get us to the top and exit over the walls from there. We were making progress, and had left the fleet of enemies behind us.

As we reached the top, few guards remained, as most had come after us below. The remaining ones were still engaged in battle with Jason's group, though very few were left. We took down the border patrol fairly easily and kept right on going.

I led what was left of the group around the last corner, and was blasted with enough water to fill the Little Tiber. It blasted me back a good twenty feet at least, almost sending me over the side. Unfortunately, my comrades weren't so lucky. The burst of water sent most of them off the side of the fortress. All I saw were Eagles swooping down to catch them.

I was pretty much alone after that, save two or three legionnaires who had been blasted back much farther than I had. I figured out the reason for this almost immediately.

Percy.

Percy had gone easy on me. I was going to make him pay for it too. He was blocking the exit, but I was glad to assist in moving him. I was soaking wet and out of breath, but I lifted my knife and ran at Percy, who wore an amused smile, probably at my current condition.

"Something funny, Seaweed Brain?" I asked as we began to circle around each other. I didn't give him a chance to respond. The water cannons still exploded with water, but it was less powerful and more unfocused. I was taking up a lot of Percy's concentration, more than anyone else had that night. His expression hardened, focusing in on my movements.

I'm not sure how long we fought like that, but I eventually saw an opening and took it, taking Percy completely by surprise. I grabbed his wrist and flipped him over my shoulder, much in the same way I had after I'd first gotten to Camp Jupiter that past June, which was pretty ironic. Percy hit the floor hard, the impact of his armor echoing all around. I clamped my arm over his chest, locked his arms at his sides and held him down. For a split second, my face was inches from his, before my head snapped up, scanning for the banner. There were very few people at the top of the fortress, though the fighting and commotion could still be heard below. As I scanned, my heart sinking more with every second I didn't see it, I heard, "Annabeth!"

I turned, as much as I could with armor and my current position, to see Jason grabbing the banners and holding them high, turning in the direction of the exit.

"Go!" I yelled, though he was already doing just that.

"Cannons!" he yelled over his shoulder, and I knew what he meant. The water canon closest to the son of Jupiter was vibrating from the water pressure as Percy focused solely on it.

"I've got it!" I yelled, "Go!" With that, I leaned forward and kissed Percy, not taking no for an answer, though little persuasion was needed. It was safe to say that my distraction worked, because the sound of rushing water stopped and Percy stopped resisting my hold on him.

Yeah, maybe it wasn't exactly the traditional way, but a minute later, cheering erupted and a laughing Reyna announced that the game was won. Only then, did I let Percy up.

He glared at me, doing his very best to look angry, but his cheeks were still flushed and he still had a faraway look in his eyes, which totally ruined the image. I just smiled sweetly at him.

"Cheater," he accused, like a little kid.

I shrugged, "Athena always has a plan," I told him smugly. Percy rolled his eyes, but gave in to a smile in the end. I chuckled at him, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the exit.

* * *

Back in the Field of Mars, the Romans were gathering, some tending their wounds. I received many smiles, along with high fives and handshakes, which seemed oddly normal, like something that Camp Half-Blood campers would do. Jason saw us and approached, grinning.

"Thanks for the help back there," he told me and turned to Percy with an amused expression.

"Don't say anything, Grace," Percy told him, though he was smiling, "You _wish_ you could lose like that." Jason laughed and Percy and I joined in.

* * *

As we walked back to Percy's house that night, hands entwined, I couldn't help thinking that I'd actually had fun that night. I hadn't been expecting almost anything that had gone on, though really, that could be said for most of what had happened during our stay at Camp Jupiter.

Tomorrow morning, Percy and I would be heading into San Francisco to spend the rest of our vacation with Sally and Paul, and, as I thought about it, I was blown away with how much my thinking had changed in regards to the Romans in such a short time. I had gone from not even wanting to come, to regretting having to leave in the morning; from generally disliking the Romans, to viewing them as my friends, some even as brothers and sisters.

I had come to Camp Jupiter, expecting rejection and contempt, when, in all actuality, I had received quite the opposite in almost every case. I had hoped to teach them some respect for Athena and her children, but really, I had needed to learn some respect for the them. In the end, it probably went both ways. The Romans probably had learned a little respect for children of Athena, or me at least, and I now definitely held the Romans in much higher regard than I had before.

Honestly, as opposed as I had been to coming on this trip to visit the Roman camp, I'd really needed to go. I'd needed to see that they really were good people, and they deserved to be viewed by me as such.

As I held Percy's hand that night, walking under a starry sky and enjoying our remaining time at Camp Jupiter, I noted just how wrong I'd been before. I'd been extremely wrong, and about so many things, which was unusual for me. I was a daughter of Athena. I was supposed to be wise and intelligent, but in the case of the Romans, I had been far from that. I had been dead wrong. Period.

Normally, being wrong annoyed me to no end, but here, I had learned my lesson, and an important one at that, and I was surprisingly okay with having been so far from the truth. Had it not been for such a mistake, I wouldn't have gotten to experience the Romans in the way that I had, and I wouldn't have met so many great people.

I had needed to visit the Romans this weekend. I had needed to see who they really were and just how great they could be. I had needed to have the fun that I'd had with them, and I'd needed to learn their way of life and experience it for myself. In the end, I'd needed to be wrong, so my point of view could be made right.

I'd needed a new viewpoint.

A new outlook.

A New Perspective.

* * *

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